Tristan Wilson – Five Songs

Five Songs

for soprano, viola, and percussion (2021, rev. 2022)

Texts by Djuna Barnes

2022 by Tristan Wilson (ASCAP)

Tristan Wilson

Tristan Wilson (b. 2002)

Five Songs (2021, rev. 2022)

I. Just Lately Drummer Boy

II. Discant (His mother said)

III. Lines To A Lady

IV. Discant (He said to the Don)

V. Lullaby

Duration: c. 15 mins.

Premiered on November 14, 2021 – Mixon Hall (Cleveland Institute of Music)

Lexy Jensen, soprano

Pablo Ronderos, viola

Jack Fischer, percussion

Instrumentation Notes

The range of the soprano part is A3 (B3 if ossias are taken) - A5.

The percussionist will need the following: snare drum, wood block, bass drum, tomtoms (3), marimba (4.3 octaves), vibraphone, crotales, and timpani (3, can be replaced by tom-toms).

For ease of setup, below is the instrumentation broken down by movement:

I. snare drum, marimba, wood block, tom-toms

II. bass drum

III. vibraphone

IV. marimba, crotales

V. timpani (or tom-toms), vibraphone

Performance Notes

In the third movement, the pitch bends in the vibraphone part (mm. 27-38) should be started at the end of the note, so that they almost stretch into the next beat.

If used, the timpani should be tuned to their requisite pitches before the beginning of the entire piece, to avoid a long break between the end of movements four and five.

If at all possible, applause between movements should be discouraged.

Composer’s Note

Djuna Barnes (1892–1982) was an American writer, journalist and artist. Best known for her 1936 novel Nightwood and her final work, a verse play entitled The Antiphon, this piece sets to music five of her tragically little-known poems.

The character of the first movement is largely militaristic, opening with a snare drum solo that then evolves into a duet for viola and marimba, reminiscent of a march. Above this, the soprano sings of a drummer boy, who, though “he has no music in his heart,” still “plays quite well.” Contrastingly, the texts of the second and fourth movements are terse and pithy, offering a glimpse of Barnes’ signature wit amid frenetic accompaniment. Between these lies the emotional core of the work, a delicately unfolding memorial to a lost love that grows to a climax before fading away, ending almost in a state of stasis. A meandering, plaintive viola line somewhat in the manner of Morton Feldman sets the tone of the finale, which ends the work on a tragic note, with the soprano sinking down to a whisper, and a soft roll from the percussion.

Five Songs was awarded first prize in the 2022 Cleveland Composer’s Guild Collegiate Composition Competition.

Texts

I. Just Lately Drummer Boy

His face is set with parapet

Of tears that come too soon. He has no drum, and so he plays

Upon a pallid moon. There is no music in his heart

Yet he makes a little tune.

The soldiers walk, the soldiers stalk

Like terrible grey wheat. And as they walk they make no sound, They move on phantom feet. Incomplete their vestments are Their mission incomplete.

And so they pass, dim in the grass

Outcome of shot and shell. He has no music in his heart

And yet he plays quite well.

II. Discant (His mother said)

His mother said (Who long since in her mother is been hid) ‘I am the birthplace of the dead.’ ‘Indeed’ he said ‘Let it be done; Let us give our tigers, each one to the other one.’

III. Lines To A Lady

Lay her under the rusty grass, With her two eyes heavy and blind and done; Her two hands crossed beneath her breast One on one.

Lay her out in the paling eve, With its sudden tears and white birch-trees; And let her passing seem to be One with these.

Close her out of this hour of grief, And casting the earth on her, like a breath, Sow her tenderly, that she mayReap her death!

And close her eyes, close, close her lips, For still, too still is her smitten tongue; Her hour's over, her breath has passed, And her song is sung.

Lay her under the wild red grass In the fields death-tossed and bowed with rain; And let her silence seem to move Within the grain.

IV. Discant (He said to the Don)

He said to the Don, ‘My Lord Your dangling man’s not crucified He’s gored.’

The picador replied: ‘Truth is a handled fruit: Isn’t that your finger in His side?’

V. Lullaby

When I was young child I slept with a dog, I lived without trouble and I thought no harm; I ran with the boys and I played leap-frog; Now it is a girl’s head that lies on my arm.

Then I grew a little, picked plantain in the yard; Now I dwell in Greenwich, and the people do not call; Then I plated pepper-seed and stamped on them hard. Now I am very quiet and I hardly plan at all.

Then I pricked my finger on a thorn, or a thistle, Put the finger in my mouth, and ran to my mother. Now I lie here, with my eyes on a pistol. There will be a morrow, and another, and another.

Djuna Bar nes for soprano, v iola, and percussion I: Just Lately Dr ummer Boy

Str ident ( = 104)

Snare Dr um - sticks

imba - hard yar n mallets

Wood Block - snare sticks

Snare Dr um (side stick)

Tom-Toms (3) - snare sticks

out g rass the in walk sion com they in dim com pass, shell as plete move come and phan on in they they so tom shot feet mis plete he sound, their are and no make they ments vest of their a tempo poco r it . pos ord. sul pont. sub.

Mar imba - hard yar n mallets

Tempo I ( = 104) freely r itard.

no quite has plays yet mu and in sic his hear t

he well

Snare Dr um - sticks

soon he dr um, pal set tears a and come so moon too pet is His of pon pa w ith lid ra that has u no face he plays ( = 74) r itard. r it . al fine breathy sul tasto, legato

II: Discant (His mother said)

A s fast as possible

cresc and decresc ad lib

Vivo ( = 108) sul pont.

(repeat patter n as fast as possible, ir respective of the soprano and percussion's tempo)

Bass Dr um - wooden stick

( W ho His am long since bir th her in the of "I mo the is ther place mo been said ther hid)

sempre

(on shell of dr um)

(nor male)

III. Lines To A Lady

Lilting, nostalgic ( = 66) dolciss.

sul II / III

Vibraphone, motor off w ith finger tips

her the in hea breast two eyes hands be one out Lay her

g rass, two w ith on v y Her blind one and done ; pa and her ling crossed neath sul tasto, non v ib. motor on - med. med. yar n mallets (3), glock. mallet (1) (sim.)

(sim )

and her cas reap der breath, her death! sow she may g r ief, her close of ly hour ting the ear th ten on her, like And that a

eyes, close her breath is tongue ; smit lips, ho close, her ten too ver, still her has ur ' s still, for o her passed, 3 3 3 3

freely, almost out of

and song is her sung.

sul II / III

con sord.

dolciss

trailing off, as if frozen in time

Ver y tender and still

motor off w ith bows

let si her the bowed w ith red seem the move tossed to and the Lay der in in w ild rain; fields her g rain. lence g rass, death w ith and un morendo

I V: Discant (He said to the Don)

but unhinged (

(senza sord.)

= 82)

Mar imba - med. yar n mallets

Vibraphone, motor on - med medium yar n mallets poco

(or Tom-Toms) sof t mallets